Hazel Park burglar caught sleeping on the job, police say

A homeless man is accused of burglary and attempted car theft after police say they caught the admitted crack cocaine addict passed out in woman’s car inside her garage.

“He must have passed out before he could make his getaway,” said Hazel Park Police Chief Martin Barner. “Luckily, an alert neighbor noticed something suspicious when he saw his neighbor’s garage door was open and called us.”

The neighbor, who lives in the 21000 block of Caledonia, called police about 4:20 a.m. Tuesday. He told police it seemed suspicious that his neighbor, a 91-year-old woman, would leave her garage open.

Police went to the garage and said they found William Goad, 37, asleep inside the woman’s 1995 Buick LeSabre parked in the garage.

Items inside the garage had been moved around and placed inside a wheelbarrow that police said they found next to the car the suspect was trying to steal, Barner said.

Police said they woke Goad up and arrested him. There was damage to the steering column and ignition of the woman’s car.

Investigators later learned that the suspect had broken the handle on the garage door to get inside, police said.

“The suspect was subsequently interviewed by detectives and indicated he was a drug addict and admitted to stealing items from the garage and car,” Barner said.

Goad has a criminal history and was released from prison in 2005 following convictions in Oakland County on four counts of home invasion, breaking and entering, and larceny of firearms. Though Goad is now homeless, police said he used to live in Hazel Park.

The suspect was arraigned Tuesday before Hazel Park 43rd District Judge Charles Goedert on charges of breaking and entering with intent, and attempted car theft.

Goad is jailed on $10,000 cash bond. He is scheduled for a pre-exam conference in Hazel Park District Court at 1 p.m. July 2.